'ICE Out' protests in Arizona - Jan. 30, 2026
Protesters across the U.S. are calling for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide strike on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Protesters march through Tempe, ASU in response to federal immigration raids
Over 1,000 people gathered on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe on Friday as part of a coordinated nationwide protest against ICE and recent immigration enforcement.
Thousands turn out in Tucson to protest ICE
Thousands of people marched through downtown Tucson on Friday afternoon, part of a nationwide strike and protest against ICE.
University of Arizona students and teachers walk out in protest of ICE
About 400 students and 1,000 teachers from various schools around Tucson walked out for the protest, according to organizers.
VIDEO: 'ICE Out' protesters at ASU's Tempe campus and near I-17
Protesters walked miles around Arizona State University's Tempe campus, and students who walked out protested near Interstate 17 and Beardsley Road in Phoenix on Friday.
Some Phoenix students suspended for participating in walkouts
Some students at a Phoenix charter school were suspended after they participated in a protest against ICE activity across the country.
About 20 students walked out of Madison Highland Prep in Phoenix on Wednesday. One of those students was Lila, who chose not to use her last name for this story. She said her peers are stressed.
“A lot of them have told me that their parents are scared to go to work after the raids at the Zipps Sports Grills,” Lila said. “I know some students who are even scared to go to school at this point, even though our school is not a direct target in this moment.”
She said walking out of school was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“We saw other kids at schools were doing the walk out and that there’s gonna be a big march to the Capitol,” Lila said. “So we decided that it was time for us to stand up and do the walk out.”
As they did so, she said administrators told students they would be punished and were barred from returning to campus that day. The school later called parents and issued a one-day suspension.
“The school did contact her dad initially and say that this had happened and his response was, ‘I’m so glad that my daughter is engaging in this civics lesson right now,’ which I would consider implicit permission,” said Lila’s mom, Chava.
In an email to KJZZ, Principal Rosana Rodriguez said the school has a closed campus policy, meaning students can’t leave school grounds without permission.
“On Wednesday, some students left campus without securing parental permission cleared through our office. Those students received a one-day suspension for violating MHP’s closed campus policy,” Rodriguez said.
“Today, our office received several phone calls from parents who said that their student would be absent from school so that they can participate in protests. Additionally, our office received some phone calls from parents requesting that their student be permitted to leave campus at a particular time. Our office acknowledged receipt of these requests and those students have been cleared to depart campus.”
Madison Highland Prep letter
Arizona school officials: Walkouts disrupt learning
State and county school officials are speaking out about recent student walkouts, amid broad, nationwide protests against federal immigration enforcement.
Both State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs sent out statements this week.
Horne said students have the First Amendment right to peacefully protest but it should be done after school hours. He added that teachers and other school personnel should not be a part of a protest during class time.
Along the same lines, Boggs said instructional time is limited and valuable and walkouts during school hours disrupt learning. She said they also pose safety concerns when students, many of whom are under 18, leave campus during the day. She added that teachers and staff should not encourage, organize or participate in the walkouts as “their responsibility is to educate, not to advocate.”
The statement from her office added: “Boggs has received numerous calls from parents, school board members, and district leaders across Maricopa County expressing concern about instructional disruption, student safety, and rising tensions on school campuses. Some parents have shared that they are keeping their children home out of concern that students who do not participate in walkouts may be pressured or bullied for their views.”
What Alex Pretti's death means for gun rights, protests and ICE in Arizona
The killing of Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis has exposed a rift between the Trump administration and Second Amendment defenders over Americans’ constitutional rights to protest and carry firearms, an issue that is now top of mind in gun-friendly Arizona.
PHOTOS: Arizona protests against ICE and immigration enforcement
'ICE Out' protest closes more than 20 Tucson schools due to staff shortages
At least 21 schools within the Tucson Unified School District are closed Friday due to staff shortages amid a nationwide protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Protesters call for nationwide strike against Trump's immigration policies
Protesters across the U.S. are calling for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide strike on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The demonstrations are taking place amid widespread outrage over the killing Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.
Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.